Alkaline Diet Recipe #89: Tunisian Chickpea Soup

This is an absolute cracker – alkaline, filling, anti-inflammatory – I just love it. While it is obviously awesome as a winter warmer, I also still love it in summer as with the Arabic flavours and spices you can almost picture yourself enjoying it on a hot, Tunisian evening.

Nutrient-wise, this soup has a superb range, with lots of protein, folate, zinc – tons of fibre too. The combination of anti-inflammatory compounds from the turmeric, kale, garlic, and celery…the detoxification benefits from the cilantro/coriander and the chlorophyll and alkaline-boost from the greens – wow. It’s a powerhouse soup.

It IS best if cooked slowly for a couple of hours, but you can also enjoy it after a 30-minute or so cook too if you’re pressed for time…or if the aromas get too much for you to resist!

Tunisian Chickpea Soup

Serves 4

Ingredients

350g dried chickpeas, soaked in cold water overnight and drained
10 garlic cloves, cut into very fine pieces
2 1/2 liters of water
8 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 carrots, cut into fine strips
5 celery stalks, cut into thin rings
2 onions, very finely chopped
2 stalks of Tuscan kale or chard, roughly sliced
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 tsp ground coriander
4 tbsp finely chopped coriander
Juice of one lemon
Himalayan crystal salt or Celtic sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

Gently heat half of the olive oil in a big pot. Add the garlic and steam for about two minutes. Add the chickpeas, water, turmeric, cumin and ground coriander. Bring all ingredients to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for about 2 1/2 hours.

In the meantime heat the remaining oil in a frying pan, add the carrots, onions, kale/chard and celery. Gently fry whilst stirring.

Add the vegetables to the soup and stir in well. Take about half of the soup and puree in a mixer or with a handheld mixer. Add the puree to the soup and stir well. Spice the soup with salt and pepper and the lemon juice.

Fill the soup into pre-warmed bowls and garnish the soup with the fresh coriander.

Enjoy this delicious and alkalizing soup!